Walter Annenberg

Walter Hubert Annenberg (March 13, 1908 – October 1, 2002) was an American publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat. He built up his family’s magazine business with great success, extending it into radio and TV. At Sunnylands, his grand estate near Palm Springs, California, he entertained royalty, presidents and many other celebrities. He was United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1974. A keen philanthropist, he was a trustee of the Eisenhower Fellowships, and is believed to have donated $2 billion to educational establishments and art galleries. He also is remembered for his media campaigns against the Barnes Foundation and the wish to relocate its art collection.

Early life

Walter Annenberg was born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 13, 1908. He was the only son of Sadie Cecelia née Freedman (1879–1965) and Moses "Moe" Louis Annenberg, who published the Daily Racing Form and purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1936. Annenberg was a stutterer since childhood.